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Saturdays thought: August 9, 2025…It was 224 years ago yesterday August 8, 1801 - Cane Ridge Meeting House near Paris in Bourbon County was the scene of the largest camp meeting in the Great Revival movement. Hosted by the congregation meeting at Cane Ridge and their minister, Barton Warren Stone, the event attracted around 10,000 people at the multi-day revival.Col. Robert Patterson of Lexington wrote "Of all ages, from 8 years and upwards; male and female; rich and poor; the blacks; and of every denomination; those in favour of it, as well as those, at the instant in opposition to it, and railing against it, have instantaneously laid motionless on the ground. Some feel the approaching symptoms by being under deep convictions; their heart swells, their nerves relax, and in an instant they become motionless and speechless, but generally retain their senses. . .” According to Patterson, the manifestations could last from one to twenty-four hours.Patterson described the scene as “a large congregation assembled in the woods, ministers preaching day and night; the camp illuminated with candles on trees, at wagons, and at the tent; persons falling down and carried out of the crowd by those next to them and taken to some convenient place where prayer is made for them, some Psalm or Hymn suitable to the occasion, sung. I have pondered this for sometime. I wonder how the Church in the book of Acts was able to have a move of God. There was No christian TV, no growth seminars, no how to DVDs, no facebook to promote them, and no formulas to follow. How did they see cloven tongues like as of fire? How did 3,000 people get saved with one sermon? How did 5,000 believe in Acts 4:4? Today it seems we have tried every new conference, read every book on how to grow a church, tried all the new ideas that have come along and proposed hundreds of other ideas and still it hasn't worked. Dinners are fine in their place, community events may be ok also. We seem for the most part to be willing to work at all types of projects and spend hours upon hours in conferences, seminars and even putting together programs to make churches grow.It seems we have done everything except what the church in Acts did! Luke 24 tells us why the church exploded in Acts. Jesus said go tarry until you be endued with power from on high. Acts 2 says when the 120 gathered and had tarried (prayed) Pentecost came and the church was changed. Acts 3 said Peter and John were on the way to the temple to (pray) when the lame man was healed. Acts 4:13 said they took knowledge (or saw) Peter and John had been with Jesus (seeking him) Jesus physically was taken back by then. So the people saw they had spent time in prayer. Acts 4:31 also said and when the had "prayed" the place was shaken.If you ever get the opportunity read about the Cane Ridge revival that happened near Paris Kentucky in 1801. Thousands prayed all night, preaching lasted all day. People fell off their wagons and their horses under the power of God. No DVDs, CDs, seminars or conferences just people coming to pray for God to move. It's not programs, professionalism, gadgets, special Lights or anything else. Prayer will bring real change. I remember when we came 30-45 minutes before church and prayed and then we had real church and people came and people were changed. I also remember when I pastored in Harlan Kentucky I told the church we were going to have a revival and we were going to pray for two weeks every morning and night before we had revival. We met every morning for an hour and prayed for two weeks and the result was a two week revival with 24 people being saved. “Prayer” produced “Pentecost”. Pentecost” brought “Power”. “Power”’caught “People’s” attention. “People” were attracted to the “Presence” that came from the fruit of “Prayer".We can see it again if we hunger and thirst for him.No pews or chairs, no air conditioning. Just hunger for God.Tim Hall